Located behind the church of San Lorenzo, this is where many members of the ruling Medici family are buried. The octagonal building with an opulent marble interior dates from 1519. The Cappella dei Principi houses sarcophagi belonging to the Medici grand dukes, including Cosimo I. Lorenzo the Magnificent is buried in the adjoining Sagrestia Nuova, which contains Michelangelo’s famous Night and Day and Dawn and Dusk sculptures.
Tomb of Lorenzo de’ Medici, 1524-1534, by Michelangelo (1475-1564), marble sculpture. New Sacristy in the Medici Chapels of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence (UNESCO World Heritage, 1982), Tuscany.
DEA / G DAGLI ORTI/© DEA / G DAGLI ORTI
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Medici Chapels
Located behind the church of San Lorenzo, this is where many members of the ruling Medici family are buried. The octagonal building with an opulent marble interior dates from 1519. The Cappella dei Principi houses sarcophagi belonging to the Medici grand dukes, including Cosimo I. Lorenzo the Magnificent is buried in the adjoining Sagrestia Nuova, which contains Michelangelo’s famous Night and Day and Dawn and Dusk sculptures.
Glorious frescoes in a tiny chapel
Benozzo Gozzoli’s exhuberant depiction of the Journey of the Magi covers the four walls of the tiny chapel in this 15th-century ex-Medici residence. Painted between 1459 and 1461 in vibrant, jewel-like colours, the frescoes include the portraits of important members of the Medici among the procession that is shown making its way to Bethlehem; Lorenzo Il Magnifico, dressed in gold cloth, is in the foreground mounted on a white horse. This gem is often passed over by tourists is favour of some of Florence‘s better-known sights, so you may have the place to yourself.
